Surrendering
by PhoenixRising19
Summary: How did Remus and Tonks get together after the fight in Half-Blood Prince? This is one theory. Short, sweet songfic.


A/N: This is a songfic, and therefore I must give credit to two brilliant minds. First of all, I am not J.K. Rowling, so I therefore do not use either of the characters mentioned in this story, nor anything else in the Harry Potter universe. Also, the lyrics that you see are from the song "Surrender" by Blake Lewis, who I am also not. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>I'd see you in a crowd<strong>

**A million people loud**

**You try to hide**

**But something makes you call out**

She could feel his presence directly behind her, though he didn't make a sound. She waited for a minute, hoping he would give up and leave, but he was as stubborn as a rock. Finally, he spoke.

"Nymphadora, please," he started, though he was not able to finish his sentence.

"Go away, Remus. Just leave me alone." After breaking her heart in front of the people that mattered most to her, did he really believe that she would want to talk to him?

"Tonks, we need to get out of here. Let's go for a walk. Please." Tonks was surprised to hear begging in his voice. She had expected sadness or guilt; Dumbledore had just died minutes ago, after all. The pleading caught her completely off guard.

Losing all resolve to ignore him, she stood up and followed him through the doors of the hospital wing. She glanced back just in time to see Molly Weasley let a grin appear on her face.

After walking for many minutes in silence, Tonks was beginning to become impatient. Was there a point at all to this walk?

"Remus, where are we going?"

"Just follow me. Trust me." That seemed to be a lot for him to ask of her, considering he had just finished telling her that she should not love him.

They exited the castle and continued across the grounds until they reached the Whomping Willow. Remus dodged its throws to touch a knot in the bark of the huge tree, which promptly stopped thrashing its branches.

"Lupin?" Tonks said, entirely unsure of where they were going.

"Shh…" Lupin crawled through a hole in the bark, and then motioned for Tonks to do the same. She couldn't help think that he was crazy for doing this, yet she also couldn't help knowing that she would go wherever he asked her to.

They crawled for what seemed like miles in the dark and dusty tunnel. Just as Tonks knees were beginning to bleed from the scraping rocks, the tunnel slanted upward.

"Not much further," Remus whispered, beginning to crawl faster. After several minutes, Tonks could see a small ray of light coming from a trapdoor. Remus pushed it open, sending a cloud of dust towards them as he did so. The two of them crawled out of the musty tunnel into an equally musty house. It looked as though it had been deserted for ages. Tonks thought it was very likely that this house was haunted…haunted!

"Remus! Are we…" Her voice trailed off, examining the house that she had passed so many times in her childhood.

"Yes, we're in the Shrieking Shack. Did you know that this was actually built for me? It has never been haunted; the villagers assumed that the yells they heard were from ghosts, but it was really me when I was transforming." Tonks let a terrible picture form in her head. She imagined a young, helpless Lupin waiting in this lonely place to become a monster.

"Oh, Remus…"

"No worries, I have actually grown rather fond of this place. It holds many good memories of the Marauders' adventures." He smiled, though the sadness was still evident on his creased face. "Sit down, Tonks." He led her over to a thoroughly worn couch and sat right next to her. Tonks felt shivers run through her body from the closeness of him.

"Nymphadora, we need to talk."

**I've gotcha falling hard**

**You make me drop my guard**

**We try to fight it**

**But something's written in the stars**

"What else is there to say? We both know how this conversation will go. The point is I love you and you don't love me. There. Done." She turned away before Lupin could see the tears running down her face, mingling with her mousy brown hair.

"What?" Remus said. Once again, Lupin's tone of voice surprised her. The mixture of shock, pain, and softness was enough to make her look back at him. When she did, he took her hand gently in between his. "My dear Nymphadora, I do love you. I really do, with all of my heart and soul."

Tonks was so confused. "But then why will you not let us be together?" She didn't care that tears were streaming down her cheeks at an alarming rate; Tonks only cared about the answer to her question.

"Don't you see, Tonks? I can't let us be together because I need to protect you! If I ever did anything to harm you, I would never be able to live with myself."

"Remus, you already have." He looked taken aback at this blunt accusation. "I need to be with you more than I need air. Anything that you might ever to do me as a werewolf could in no way compare to the hurt that I feel when I'm not with you."

"Dora, please—"

What he was going to say, she would never find out. Tonks gathered up all of the strength she had left in her frail body. She rested her hands on his pale, soft face and, before he could stop her, she kissed him.

**I just can't shake this feeling**

**It's just like a bullet and it's killing, killing me**

**Two hearts that need some healing**

**Don't know what you do to me**

Tonks felt Lupin's body immediately tense, and then just as quickly relax. Tonk's heart felt as though it could explode from happiness. He pulled her closer as she wove her fingers into his hair. They stayed like that for what must have been centuries, until Lupin finally pulled away.

"Remus…" She reached for him, wanting never to leave this moment of absolute bliss.

"Tonks, I can't do this to you. I just can't. You deserve so much better. I shouldn't have kissed you."

"Deserve better? I don't deserve you! You are the most kind, sweet, caring person I know. You need to stop letting your little problem control your life. You are a werewolf one day of the month, Remus. Just one day!" She hadn't realized how much anger had crept into her voice. "Stop causing both of us agony and just be with me! Please."

She waited for him to say something, but no words came. They sat in the silence of the Shrieking Shack for a long time.

**It's time to surrender**

**Cause I can't remember**

**A love that was strong enough**

**To not run away**

When the first rays of dawn began to crawl through the boarded up windows, Tonks was finally able to get a good look at Lupin. It was obvious he had been crying; his eyes were red and swollen, cheeks still glimmering from the tears that had escaped. She must have looked the same way, because Remus lifted one of his pale hands and stroked her cheek. She leaned into him, praying that the gentle touch would never end. Tonks closed her eyes, trying to imagine a perfect world where she could have him. Not only until she felt a warm breath on her face did she realize that his lips were just inches away from hers.

Expecting a kiss, she was surprised when he spoke. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Remus' voice was soft, yet stern.

"Remus Lupin, there is nothing I am more sure of in this world."

"Then I suppose I surrender." With that, he grabbed Tonks' hand and led her out of the Shrieking Shack. In a world with danger and death and every turn, Nymphadora Tonks with the bubblegum pink hair had finally found her own piece of heaven.

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><p>AN: This was my first ever fanfiction, that I wrote one night long ago when I was just a wee child (Okay, 13. Which means only three years ago. But still!)

I happen to know that my 13-year-old past self would love feedback on her first piece of work, so please review!


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